Choke Artists: The Team in Every Major Sport That Collapses in the Playoffs
Every single sport has a team who is impressive in the regular season, but disappears in the playoffs.
Often times, they are the top seed heading into the playoffs, but for whatever reason, the team goes AWOL when it matters most.
For all intents and purposes, this list is comprised of teams from the last ten years exclusively. Here is one team from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL who drops the ball with everything on the line.
NFL: The San Diego Chargers
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The Chargers have been one of the best regular season teams of the decade. They have consistently earned the right to go to the playoffs and have handled the AFC West for the majority of the last ten years.
Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers quarterbacked the Chargers capably. Future first ballot Hall of Famer Ladainian Tomlinson came out of the backfield for the majority of the decade. With future Hall or Fame tight end Antonio Gates at their disposal, the Chargers had a high performing offense, to say the least.
Ron Rivera's defense was dominant and a system was created in San Diego. Teams feared the Chargers, and not just in Qualcomm.
The Chargers have produced only two losing seasons in the last ten years. Four seasons, they surpassed the ten win mark. They went to the playoffs five times during the span.
Three times, they were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, including 2006, after putting forth a 14-2 regular season record. The Chargers are nearly flawless in December. It's a shame the magic doesn't linger into January.
NBA: Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks are probably going to advance to the NBA Finals this season, which is all well and good. A brief history lesson points to yet another epic collapse for the franchise.
The Mavs have gone to the playoffs every single season for the last ten years. They only reached the NBA Finals once during that span, although they have a chance to go back if they can close out the Thunder.
They have produced three 60-win teams. Their best season during the span was during in 2006-2007 season. They were coming off an NBA Finals birth and put forth a 67-win season.
The Mavs were the number one seed and were going up against an inexperienced and undersized Warriors team. Former Dallas coach Don Nelson was now coaching Golden State. The Warriors shut down Dirk Nowitzki and closed the series out in just six games.
MLB: Minnesota Twins
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The Minnesota Twins have earned six playoff births in the last ten seasons, finishing first in the AL Central each time.
In their last three appearances, they were swept in the ALDS. In 2003 and 2004, the Yankess knocked them out of the ALDS in four games.
Their only ALCS birth in the decade came in 2002. It only took five games to put their pennant dreams to rest.
The Twins haven't had a shortage of stars over the decade. In 2006 alone, they had Cy Young winner Johan Santana, American League batting champion Joe Mauer and AL MVP Justin Morneau.
The Twins have terrorized the division over the past decade, but can't put it together in the playoffs.
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NHL: San Jose Sharks
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The Sharks have appeared in the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons. Their most recent collapse is indicative of their performances over the last decade.
The Canucks scored a fluke goal in double overtime to eliminate the Sharks in Gm. 5. How did they get to double overtime? The Canucks scored a game-tying goal in the wee minutes of the third period.
The Sharks always seem to find creative ways to lose in the playoffs. They've been to the Western Conference Finals three times during the span, including back to back appearances. The Sharks are always decent, they just can't come through in the clutch.
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